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With my Head above the Parapet: An insider account of the ANC in power

‘There is no room for sentimentality in politics and I am no mood to put a rosy gloss on where we are now.’ – Ben Turok

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Description

With My Head above the Parapet is a record of Ben Turok’s experience as a participant in the political life of this country since 1994. It is also an insightful account of the ANC’s decline and current malaise, told by an insider intent on holding his party to its historical mission of liberating South Africa from poverty, inequality and discrimination.

“There is no doubt that Professor Ben Turok is among the formidable political thinkers in South Africa today; a fact lucidly borne out by his tour de force, With My Head above the Parapet, in which he brings twenty years of parliamentary experience to bear on a comprehensive explication of South Africa today. Definitely not a ‘politician’ but a well-rounded human being with a political attitude.” – Kgalema Motlanthe, Deputy President

In February 2014 Ben Turok confirmed that he will retire from Parliament after the elections. Turok cited medical and personal reasons for his decision to retire.

About the author

Ben Turok is a former anti-apartheid activist and veteran ANC MP. He played a key role in the writing of the Freedom Charter, in particular its chapter dealing with economic equality. In November 2011, he broke party ranks and did not vote for the controversial Protection of Information Bill, also known as the Secrecy Bill. As co-chairman of Parliament’s ethics committee, he enforced strict compliance among MPs with the asset disclosure policy and presided over two controversial cases – those of former communications minister Dina Pule and ANC MP Yolanda Botha, who faced charges of fraud and corruption.